The South Park Killings
by BlackKatCurse
Summary: Kyle's life is consumed with trying to take care of his mother and brother ever since their dad became an alcoholic. As he is working himself thin, he finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time and begins to question his sanity as a murderer runs rampant in South Park. Will he be next? Or can he find out who the killer is and stop them? Based on the The Alice Killings
1. Chapter 1

" _In some place was a dream."_

"Of course, the day right after my car breaks down a snow storm hits. Just my fucking luck." It was already midnight and even though I left Haven Bell Community College an hour earlier than I usually did, it was still taking me close to two and a half hours just to walk home. I couldn't exactly run the four miles home either, the wind was far too fierce to try and I was already losing feeling in my legs. Running against the wind would just exhaust me. I knew I should have ask my mother to pick me up today. Why didn't I? Oh, that's right, _Gerald_ was an asshole and right before I could ask he came barging in the front door drunk out of his mind screaming orders, that he was the head of the household, respecting him was crucial!

I hung my head down a bit more to allow Jack Frost to beat against the hood of my hoodie instead of my face. I hated leaving Ike alone all the time during the week, especially since our 'father' could come rampaging through the house and Ike and my mother would be completely defenseless. As my father's succession as a lawyer increased, so did his drinking. The only time he didn't have a bottle in his hands was when he was in the courtroom. Although he is stupid enough to spend thousands on, as he liked to call it, 'exclusive' bottles of alcohol he'd never put his job in jeopardy.

My only options; get a full time job somewhere and drop out of high school to get Ike and my mother away from my father by supporting them by myself or I could stay in school. If I dropped out and tried to support my mother and Ike, he would just move Ike and her away. Even if my mother left Gerald, he would get custody of Ike because of his reputation with the courts and all of the money he makes. If I stayed in school and sucked it up I'd get a full ride throughout college, get my degree as an accountant, it'd be easy for me to get a good job, and by the time I get the job Ike will be 18 and I'll just take care of him alone.

I let out a loud sigh as I passed by South Park public school. The wind had picked up, pushing falling snow directly onto every inch of exposed skin. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a minor case of frostbite. Today just wasn't my day and the snowstorm wasn't helping in the slightest. Suddenly, a whimper echoed throughout the air followed by a thud. I stopped where I was, debating whether or not the sound was my imagination or not. Just as I was about to rule in favor of my imagination, an indescribable noise echoed softly through the storm. I glanced the the South Park Community Center that I now stood in front of. There was no doubt in my mind the sound came from behind the building. My heart sped up as the idea of investigating came to my mind. In a town like South Park it was rare to see people on this side of town past nine o'clock, let alone midnight…

Curiosity bit at me and I found myself slowly creeping along the wall of the stone building. I hadn't even made it to the end of the wall before another indescribable sound echoed once again, practically making me jump out of my shoes. From what I could infer, it sounded like someone was hitting something that soft, but thick with a big blunt object. I could feel my heartbeat against my ribcage, the snowstorm was the last thing on my mind. What the hell was going on?

I approached the corner and ever so slowly I glanced behind it. Instantly, my stomach dropped and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It wasn't long before the smell of the scene attacked my nose. Silver and rust. Nausea quickly became and acquaintance as I continued to look at the scene laid out before me. A small lantern sitting on a tree stump highlighted a man, rather tall and with quite a build. He stood with his back to me, a black hoodie drooped around him, with a large sledgehammer at his side. Laying in front of him was some kind of furry animal, what was once a dog or wolf, but now a pile of pounded meat, blood, and fur. Parts of the animal were still intact such as its legs and bottom, but its head and torso were just a pile of gore now.

I could feel everything I had eaten starting to resurface in my stomach. What the hell was going on? What the fuck is wrong with this guy?! My heart and breathing were starting to race, fear was overtaking the shock. This is bad, I need to go before I am seen. Without even realizing it the wind had died down and the snow crunched under my foot as I stepped back. . The man instantly turned around and spotted me. I had to run. I began sprinting in the direction of home, adrenaline began to kick in as I sprinted, but the guy was fast. I could hear the man's footsteps pounding close behind me. At any second he could grab me and I could end up like that dog; it was as if I could feel his warm breath on my neck. As my heart and legs raced, I couldn't focus on anything besides m inevitable death. . I knew little to no combat skills so if he were to get ahold of me, all I could do is scream, but no one would hear me and I'm sure he would quickly cover moth or snap my neck. I reached the houses of neighborhood and began hopping over the fences as if they were hurdles. Only three more houses before my own. Thank God all of the fences were the same in South Park. Finally I reached my backyard. I didn't hesitant to run to the front and unlock the door, petrified that just putting the key in the locked would take too long, but I managed to unlock the door and get burst inside. I nearly slammed the door shut and locked it, before realizing hadn't heard the man for a bit, in fact, I soon as I got to the houses his footsteps had disappeared… did he just stop chasing? Why was he out there to begin with? Then I began to question if that was even real. It had to of been real, right? There's no way I could have imagined that…

I leaned against the locked front door as the adrenaline started to get replaced with exhaustion. If that actually happened then that man was able to keep up with me. He was almost just as fast as m. No one on the entire track team has ever come close to beating me…who could that have been? Someone from out of town? Then it hits me, I probably shouldn't have ran straight home, that puts not only me, but also Ike and my mother in danger if this lunatic decides to get revenge for me seeing his...whatever you'd call that.. I debated calling the police, looking around and spotting the phone on the coffee table before noticing Ike passed out on the couch. He must have tried to stay up waiting for me. Him sleeping on the couch also means Gerald still hasn't returned home from his previous case which had ended yesterday. No surprise he has yet to come home to his loving perfect family.

I sighed and dropped my bookbag into the floor next to the window and walked over to Ike. My feelings of fear disappeared as I gently picked up Ike's sleeping form. The kid isn't very big, but I'm not the strongest guy in the world. Thankfully he is a heavy sleeper and I managed to get him into my arms without disturbing him. I didn't bother turning off the TV as I made my way upstairs with Ike. No matter how many times I tell him not to wait up for me, he makes sure to do just that, but I can't blame him. He doesn't have many friends and the friends he does have aren't anything close to what Stan, Kenny, and I have. I gently placed Ike in his bed and covered him up. He's a good kid in school, but because he was put in school early he's the youngest in his class and that makes him an easy target for bullies to hit.

I walked into my room and collapsed in my bed. The events that had just taken place completely fade into the back of my head as thoughts of the two quizzes, unit test, and essay that were due tomorrow occupied my mind. Almost like I had completely forgotten, sleep had no problem pulling me down and filling my head with black fuzz.

The black fog cleared from my head to reveal a man in a black standing in front of me. Around us was nothing but miles of of barren fields. The man held his hand out as if for me to grab it and as if my feet had mind of their own, I slowly started to walk towards him. I could feel wind slowly brush against my skin as I neared the man, almost as if it was pushing me towards him. Suddenly the man's head started to rise, I could see a sadistic smile spread across his face, his eyes were still shrouded in darkness from the cloak. I felt no fear, but comfort coming from the man as if I knew him. I stood in front of him now, his hands still outstretched for me to grab. I glanced at his gloved hand, it was almost inhuman how large his hand was. I gently placed my hand on his before looking back up at him. I was greeted by a face of some mutilated beast. As I let out a scream and tried run from the beast, my hand was swallowed by his hand as he yanked me into him. I thrashed about, screaming, begging for my life as the beast's cloaked started to wrap itself around me burying me alive. I could feel the warmth of the beast's body against mine; my body was relaxed as if I was in no danger, yet my mind raced with my heart trying to find a way away from this thing. Just then I could feel the hot breathes of the man against my ear, sending shivers down my spine, I was frozen in place. "Don't leave me...Kyle."

My eyes shot open to Ike shaking me awake. "Kyle, it's already seven thirty. We're going to be late. Did your alarm not go off?"

Groggy, I sat up. My body was drenched in sweat, no way could I skip a shower today. I glanced at Ike, who wore a worried face. "Oh...um, I guess not." I glanced at my nightstand, my phone wasn't there. No wonder I didn't wake up, my alarm was on my phone and it's not where it should be. Did I leave it in my bookbag? I sighed and got out of bed. "Ask mom to take you to school or start walking. I still need a shower so I'm going to be late." I know he hated going to school by himself, but I'm going to make it up to him somehow. "And stop staying up for me. You're going to tire yourself out."

As I made my way towards the bathroom I could practically hear Ike pouting. "Well, I need to talk to you when you get home tonight! So you better not be late!"

"Aye Aye Captain." I muttered with a smile as I closed the bathroom door. I barely waited long enough for the shower to warm up before hopping into it. I honestly greeted the cold water happily as the sweat and grime from the day before started to wash away and slowly wake me up.

Thoughts of the nightmare began to fill my head, I was use to weird dreams, but that just seemed played out. I shuddered as the image of the mutilated face appearing in my head once more. I stared down at the floor of the shower, my red curls falling past my face; the shower was starting to warm up causing the room to fog. I sighed softly running my fingers through my hair and as soon as I did something moved out of the corner of my eye. I instantly glanced over and looked at the bathroom through the clear glass shower door. I slowly pulled the glass door open and glanced around the foggy bathroom, my heart starting to beat faster than my liking, but nothing was out of place.

Uneasy, I turned off the water and made my way into the hallway, greeted instantly by the chill of the morning. I quickly went to my room and

I threw on worn jeans and a plain white T-shirt covered by my green sweater, then made my way downstairs. The sun already started creeping through the open windows, thus making the living room much more lively than it was. I wasn't surprised to see my mother sitting on the couch watching some kind of reality TV show. "Ike didn't ask for a ride?"

She looked up at me with shock. "Oh, Bubbie! I thought you left already. No, I offered to give him a ride, but he said he needed the exercise."

"Oh, good for him." I walked to the kitchen and grabbed an apple. "Think he's gonna be ready to replace his brother next year in track?" I joked heading over to my bookbag, noticing the clock on the wall reading seven forty-five. I could make it to school on time if I jogged instead of walk.

"Maybe if his brother takes some time out of his busy schedule to train with him" My mother joked. "Have a good day, Bubbie," And with that I was out the door, taking a light jog towards the school.

The wind was very light today compared to last night's hell. Images of the man bashing the animal came to mind instantly. Chills ran down my spine and quickly I shook myself of the ominous feeling. I kept my head down as I jogged across the street and came upon the community center. I looked around and the eeriness crept on me. Was the body of the animal still there? Maybe I should make report to the police, let them know some maniac was out and about slaughtering animals.

Next thing I knew, my body had started to creep up to the community center. As if I doubted my eyes, my mind wanted to verify what I had witnessed. I expected the man to attempt to clean up his mess or something… but I didn't expect to find nothing at all. As if nothing had ever happened last night, there wasn't anything left behind; the blood on the tree was gone and not even a lingering scent of death was around... Just nothing. I stood there frozen in place barely able to comprehend what I was seeing. Was I really hallucinating last night? No that's impossible...I took a step back in distraught, but my foot landed on something hard. I glanced down and underneath my foot was my phone.

Glancing back up at the back entrance of the building, half expecting to see something, I slowly bent down and picking up the metal object. It was freezing to the touch, meaning it fell from my pocket last night. That at least verifies that I was here...if that man was able to cover up every piece of his insane actions in just a matter of hours, that would be super human. Did I imagine the man? Am I becoming too stressed out?

I slid my phone in my pocket, thanking my past self for buying a waterproof case just few weeks before, and slowly started making my way towards the school. My head was the farthest thing from empty as a million questions swarmed about it.

"All I'm saying is maybe you're overworking yourself." Stan sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"A Jew is overworked? That's a first…" Cartman huffed from behind Stan, landing himself a nice punch in the arm by Kenny.

"I agree with Stan, Kyle. You're at school for 8 hours a day AND go to college prep classes out of town for an additional 5 hours for 5 days. On the weekends you don't even relax, you spend it at track practice. So I wouldn't be surprised if you tripped out a bit last night. You even said yourself there was nothing there this morning." I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.

Stan sat up in his chair and leaned toward me, he wore a serious look on his face with an odd feeling to his stare. "Let's say this… guy did try to attack you last night and he as able to miraculously clean up everything, his footprints, the blood, and have the snow completely level by morning without anyone else seeing then you're dealing with some kind of psychopath that enjoys killing things brutally. You not only walked in on him and caught him in the act during what I'm gonna guess is a dark side of the guy that he doesn't want people to see; you ran away and went straight to your house. So now some crazy killing psychopath knows where you live along with your mother and brother." I stared at him as he leaned back in his chair. "Kyle, you really are thinning yourself out. No one in South Park besides the football team can lift a sledgehammer as big as you described and all of us were at Clyde's place last night."

"Isn't your dog missing, Stan?" Cartman commented with a smirk on his face. "Maybe your dog met his fate last night by the hands of a psychopath." A dark chuckle escaped his lips before Kenny landed another punch on him. "Cartman, shut the fuck up. You're scaring the shit out of him!"

"Besides, Spike gets out all the time. He'll be back in a few days anyways." Stan glared a Cartman before turning to me. "Kyle, skip your college classes tonight and come with us to Craig's party tonight. Let loose a little man. You deserve it." He smiled softly.

"Aw come on man! Don't invite the fucking Jew! He's going to be a prude the entire time and you know how he gets when he's around alcohol and pot."

"I think you should come, Ky." Kenny said as he hopped up on my desk, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side before ruffling up my hair to which I grudgingly pulled away as he laughed. "You'll have a blast after a few shots!" He winked at me making my cheeks burn.

"Fag…" I muttered with a sigh. "I can't miss today's classes. We are starting our college letters and I need to be there for that." I could feel the glares from Stan and Kenny without even looking causing me to clear my throat. "B-but I can miss tomorrow's class… It's just notes tomorrow and I can get those off of Addie…"

"Atta boy!" Kenny cheered as he ruffled my hair up again with his hand. Stan smiled while Cartman grumbled to himself. "You'll have blast and completely forget about that weirdo."

I sighed and leaned back in my own chair, looking out the window at the bright layer of snow covering the once vibrant green grass. My stomach dropped at the thought of walking home in the dark once again, fearing slowly creeping up on me as Stan's words replayed in my head. He was right, I did lead this guy right to my house… right to Ike. They really think I'm delusional, but I should play this safe … I have some old cameras hidden away in my room, I could update them a bit and put them up by the front and back door…

"Kyle!" Stan barked bringing me back to reality. I turned to him as he stared back at me with pity written all over his face. "Dude… you look like shit."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed at him. "Damn, tell me how you really feel" I glanced at him as a smile crept on his face. "I'm fine, I'm just tired man."

"Well, call me tonight when you get out of class. I'll come pick you up." He raised his hand up before I could even protest. "It's not a problem at all. It's suppose to be even colder tonight than yesterday, I'd like to avoid defreezing you tomorrow because you became a popsicle."

I rolled my eyes while a smirk played on my face. "Fine, but don't expect me to wait for your ass. I'll call you once before I start walking."

"Deal, but don't act too surprised when I answer."

"Stan? Answering his phone? Wow… that's a myth in itself." Kenny joked. They went back to joking amongst themselves about the party tonight as I went back to staring out the window. A part of me grateful Stan might actually take me home, the other part silently telling me I'd be stuck walking home tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Who dreamt it was unknown."_

"And the last time you spoke with Eric Cartman was around 3:45pm today?" Officer Yates questioned from across the table. All I could do was nod as I stared at the table, my body completely numb to the deep cuts and frostbite spread across my arms and legs. "And you stated Eric Cartman was suppose to be at a party with Kenneth McCormick and Stan Marsh?" Once again a small nod was all I could give. "You attend Haven Bell Community College in the evening time, which would explain why you were out so late and why you were on that particular path at this time of night… Can you give a name of someone who can confirm you were at Haven Bell between the hours of 5:00 pm to 10:00pm? And can you give a name of someone who might have seen you leaving at 10:00pm after class let out?" I lifted my head up slowly to look at him, my head swarming with images of blood and body parts hanging from a tree. My lips trembled as I tried to think of classmate, any name would work. Any teacher or student's name that was in class today would void their suspicion on me...but my lips wouldn't work. "Broflovski?" My breath started to pick up slightly as my eyes started to sting, my vision blocked by tears.

"I….I… He was… my friend…" I stammered out slowly.

"I would hardly consider someone who constantly bullied you and foul mouthed your religious views as a friend. I know you two have had quite some feuds in the past… On some accounts you both threatened to kill each other…" His eyes narrowed at me, causing my heart to speed up. Did he really think I could do something like this…? I felt my dinner start to build up in my throat. This can't be happening, was I really a suspect?

I tried to protest against the fail accusation, but nothing could escape my lips. Why couldn't I speak?! Suddenly, almost as if someone up there was looking out for me Detective Murphy opened the door to the empty room we sat in. "Sir, they need your assistance in questioning McCormick in room A4."

Yates sighed and took a long sip of his coffee before speaking to Murphy without even a glance of acknowledgement. "I haven't finished interrogating suspect Broflovski."

My heart stopped at the word 'suspect'. My blood was practically ice and my breath was nonexistent. He honestly thought it was me? No, no I have many witnesses to prove I was in class! "Sir-"

"Yates, I can finish him up. McCormick is a lot tougher to deal with. You're the only person he doesn't fuck around with." Murphy looked over at me and smiled softly, immediately calming almost all my nerves. Yates must have noticed my change in demeanor because his eyes became daggers as he stared at me. He didn't stay a word as he stood up and left the room, leaving a heavy atmosphere. It was like time stopped for a brief second letting me take in everything that was happening. Cartman was gone… I couldn't tell if this was a miracle or a disaster.

"Kyle?" Murphy broke the silence, dragging my eyes attention towards him. "I understand you may be in shock, and I'm not going to press for anything you're not comfortable sharing, but anything you tell me will help us find out who killed your...acquaintance?" He raised his eyebrow as he read through the files. "Kyle, what was your opinion on Eric?"

I sat up in my seat, a bit taken back from the question, but thankful for the normalcy in it. "He's a fatass who is egotistical and stuck in a world that is all about him. He is a racist bigot who thinks he can do whatever he wants… But I can admit he is very smart and when he gets an idea he goes all out for it. He isn't someone who you wanna mess with, so that's the only reason I hung out with him. So he wouldn't kill me or some shit…" My voice trailed off as the images came racing through my head. It was too surreal to come to terms with, it was like this was all a dream and in a few seconds I was going to wake up to my alarm clock and an anxious Ike who is furious at me for coming home so late.

"I don't think you did it Kyle." Murphy pulled my attention back to him. He must of see how surprised I was because he let out a small chuckle. "You have straight A's, attend after school college courses, track captain of your school… Kyle you're a good kid and by the looks of it, you don't have time to go running around killing people. Your physical physique is evidence enough to prove you didn't do it. Cartman weighed 278 pounds and you weigh a wooping 132 pounds. Even if you somehow managed to kill him, then the time frame doesn't fit. I called Haven Bell the second you came bursting through our doors… Your professor confirmed you were there for classes today and he even offered to let us view the security cameras. There was no way for you to make it back to South Park, murder Cartman, set up the scene and come here even if you were driving. The only way you could have pulled this off is with some help." By now my face was drenched in silent tears that had made their way onto to the table. "So, either you're one hell of a con artist and an amazing actor… or you're just one very unlucky kid who was unfortunate enough to run into a scene like that." Murphy slowly got out of his chair and walked over to, making sure to make slow very noticable movements. He carefully leaned against the table and handed me a tissue. "I understand how you're feeling Kyle. You may not have been on the best of terms with him, but he was someone you knew. Someone who was regularly in your life." My body was slowly coming back to me, I could feel my splitting headache, the multiple angry scratches and burnt pieces of skin from the snow. My leg were on fire. Everything hurt.

"Thank you…" I managed to get out after a few moments of silence. "Thank you for not accusing me…"

Murphy smiled softly. "Of course. I know a good kid when I see one." He sighed and walked back over to his chair and picked up his pencil. "Now, I may know you're innocent just by looking at you, but Yates doesn't believe in instinct. Kyle, I know this may be hard, but I need to know everything that happened after you left the college if you can handle that."

I looked up at him, his eyes full of understanding and sympathy. I bit my lip and nodded slowly. "Alright…"

' I figured Stan wouldn't answer his phone. Why was I so disappointed? I honestly had no idea. I continued down the stone path, dense forest on we both sides of me. In broad daylight this path has a nostalgic feel to it. Back when we played in a fantasy world as elves and warlocks battling each other on this very road over a stick that we were convinced held all the answers. Those were the days, when there was no worry. Gerald hadn't discovered the alcohol yet, Ike was too young to really worry about and my mother's only concern was making the other neighborhood wives like her.

Wind beat relentlessly against my body and I silently cursed myself for not bringing my gloves and hat. Again, a part of me put too much faith in Stan only to be let down. Honestly, ever since he became the quarterback of the football team he has changed. Always out at parties drinking and smoking pot. I sighed to myself, relishing in old fond memories. Kenny has been there for me more than Stan. When Gerald started drinking, Kenny was there comforting me as I completely fell apart. He has came to every single one of my track meets with Ike when my mother couldn't anymore due to her job. He even let Ike and I crash a his place for a few days when Gerald decided to use Ike as a punching bag.

I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets as the wind picked up. I could feel my cheeks starting to burn from the cold. Great, frostbite. I continued down the path, keeping my head low and my body as pressed together as possible. I still had about a 1.5 miles to go until I reached home where Ike was probably jumping for joy. He may think he has the upper hand, but little does he know I already know what he has to talk to me about. He got straight A's on his report card.. Which means I owe him a trip to the beach, which to be quite frank, I am so looking forward to. I watched his grades for the past few weeks and knew this was coming so I already booked a hotel room under Gerald's name in California for this weekend. I just needed my car to get fixed on time. If all goes accordingly, Ike and I will be good to go by Friday. Just a few days away…

Suddenly my nose was filled with an all too familiar aroma… flesh, raw blood soaked flesh… I froze in place as my heart dropped into my stomach. My hair stood tall on my skin and my lungs almost completely stopped working. I stood completely still, memories of the night before filling my head. Is this a dream? Am I imagining this? My ears listening for any kind of movement that indicated the man from before was close. There was no hammer sound nor footsteps of any kind. What is that smell?

Then a drop of warm liquid fell onto my cheek, making my entire body tense. Time froze for half a second before another drop fell again, hitting my arm. Slowly I lifted my head, looking up at the dark sky before yet another warm drop collapsed down on my lips filling my nose with the metallic harsh smell of copper.

My body fell to the ground, trying to ration everything out, not letting any sound escape my throat. Endless possibilities that would explain why blood was falling from a tree now filled my head. But one thought invaded them all. Did last night really happen? Did this man kill another animal?...or someone?

The snow had begun to soak into my pants by now, but I couldn't find the energy to get up. With a few unsteady breaths I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone. The screen light up immediately showing I only have a 7% charge left. Everything in my body screamed to get up and run away, pretend nothing happened and go on my merry way, but for some idiotic reason I flipped open my phone and turned on my flashlight. I was greeted by a horror show.

My blood stopped flowing and my eyes widened at the sight. The flashlight shook in my hand, showcasing the view. Large body parts, arms, legs, and a torso, impaled on various thick tree branches. Intestines strung about like a show as blood slowly dripped from them into the large pile of blood piled up in front of me that was beginning to soak my shoes making them a crimson red. I slowly raised my head up, completely lost in doubt of what laid before me. Hanging just slightly above the body was a head… A branch stabbed through the exposed neck, making it's way all the way up and out the right eye of the noirette. His mouth slightly gaped in shock as if he was surprised to have meet his fate. His one remaining eye held so much fear and pain in it as it stared back at me. Almost as if begging me to help him…

Then it all hit me, fear built thick in my stomach and rose to my throat escaping through my lips with a loud scream. My body immediately burst with adrenaline as I turned over onto my knees and burst into a sprint, off the trail and into the dense wall of bare trees. Small branches that extended off the tree wrapped themselves around me as if trying to pull me back to him, tearing into my jacket and poking my skin. The fierce wind beat heavily against all of the exposed parts of my body, not hesitating to greet the fresh skin as my jacket started to become just rags. But none of it mattered, the cold, the tattered jacket, the minor scratches. I just needed to get away from him. I could hear him screaming and begging for me to come and save him, get him down from the trees and take him to a hospital where he would be fine the next day, prepared to continuously crack on my religion. But, no, he wasn't coming back. The pathetic cry for help I kept hearing was from my own mouth, it wasn't his.

I had no idea where I was headed, but if I kept heading in on direction I'd make it out of the forest eventually and I'd be close enough to one of the towns. Close enough to society. Close to safety. I could hear the snow and small twigs crack under my feet as I sprinted through the trees, they echoed making me feel as if the man was right behind me yet again. Was he? Did he see me? My heart racing just to keep up with my legs, I was at a point I couldn't see where I was running, I just needed to run. Everything was a blur to me, there was no sense of direction as to here I was headed.

Suddenly my feet lost the ground, my arms immediately shielded my face as my body flew forward. I was falling face first down a steep hill that was covered in bare shrubs and sharp rocks. I felt my shoulder slam into a rock, digging deep into my skin, as it pushed me further down causing my back to meet the awful fate of dancing with a shrub with no leaves just branches that tore at what was left of my jacket and digging deep into the exposed skin. Everything was spinning and there was no sense of direction. I couldn't grab onto anything nor slow myself down, I could only ragdoll my body to prevent as much damage as possible, but I was in a hysteria. All I could think about was what I had just witnessed, flashes of blood and organs filled my head. Anxiety and fear wouldn't let my body accept its fate, instead it fought it, making my arms and legs thrash around, grabbing onto anything I could get my hands onto, but just breaking or slipping from my grasp. Then just as soon as it started it ended with a final blow to the head.

My head was spinning, nausea and vertigo working its way throughout my body. My breath was staggered and heavy as I slowly forced my head up and off the frozen slab. I slowly glanced around at my surroundings, the moon shone brightly against the pale white snow, allowing me to see the town of South Park just a few yards away.

My adrenaline started draining slowly and was replaced with anxiety and pain as it began to burst within my body. My head ached as an oncoming headache formed, my arms and legs burned from the multiple cuts, and my fingers and toes screamed in agony for any kind of warmth. I slowly got back onto my feet, hoping I looked better than I felt. I leaned against a tree to catch my breath, wondering if my eyes were just playing tricks on me, but deep down knowing I couldn't escape this. My only options were to make my way to the police station or go home and pretend I never saw anything. I would be jeopardizing myself if I didn't report anything… his blood was on my jacket and if the police found my clothes it would look like I attacked him and he fought back. I sighed to myself, internally cursing Stan for not answering his phone… my heart began to speed up as thoughts filled my head. Maybe Stan didn't answer because he has been attacked. Was his body strung up somewhere in the woods as well?! What about Kenny?! Fuck, this can't be happening!

A snap of a twig stopped my beating heart. I slowly lifted my head in the direction of the sound, hoping it was only an animal. However what it was caused my heart to drop into my stomach… the hair on my arms stood tall not from the unbearable cold but from the way he stood so casually. A man, one I could not forget, stood at the outskirts of the dense trees just a few yard away. In his left hand I could see a large blade, in the other a sawblade. Every part of my screamed to run toward the town, but my feet wouldn't move.

We stood in silence just staring at one another as if time itself stopped. It was clear he was the one who killed Eric. He somehow overpowered that lard and ended his life… I was looking at a murderer and I couldn't do anything. It wasn't until the man took a step forward, was I finally able to move. I didn't care how much pain I was in, how out of breath I still was, I had to run. I had no idea if the man was following me or not, but I couldn't chance looking behind me to check. I just needed to get to the town and I'd be fine. I just needed witnesses.

My vision was blurry as my legs carried me across the open field. The town was the only thing I could see. Never had I felt so much relief as when I finally passed the Starks pond. I was home. The police station was only two blocks away. I was almost safe, but not completely.

I couldn't hear anyone behind me, yet my legs wouldn't stop running. There was no one around, I was still vulnerable. I passed the church and could see the police station up ahead. The lights were still on; someone was still in there. I ran across the street and burst in through the doors. The officer at the front desk was standing, holding all of her belongings as if she was about to leave. She stared at me with wide fearful eyes.

I quickly approached the desk ready to explain everything until I realized how dry my throat was and trying to speak sent me immediately into a coughing fit. "Honey, are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?"

I shook my head, trying to muffle my coughing. My body was screaming in agony; my legs ready to collapse at any moment while my head spun around. The women must of noticed because she grabbed a water bottle from her purse and handed it to me. Normally I'd decline such an offer in fear of germs spreading but I never thought water would look so delicious. I opened it quickly and brought it to my lips. The water coated my dry throat, relaxing it and relinquishing at the taste. Before I knew it the bottle was empty, but thankfully my throat was hydrated enough to allow words to come out. However I had no idea where to begin. "I-I was on my back from Haven Bell Community College… I was walking the trail between the towns because my car broke down and the buses don't drive this late… I…" my words trailed off as I tried to fully understand everything I just witnessed. my eyes started to tear up, all the heavy emotions hitting me at one. My chest started to close up and my breathing became heavy. "He was dead… mutilated like some animal." my words barely louder than a whisper.

The women looked at me with a confused expression. "You witnessed a murder? Did you know the victim?"

I shook my head, my hands trembled at the images played in my head again. "Eric Cartman. He was a friend of mine… I-I found his… his body. It's on the path between here and the next town over. West of Stark's Pond…"

The woman's eyes widened. "Do you need medical assistance sir? What's your name? You do know it is a crime to report false information. Are you certain you saw the body of your friend?" She say back in her chair and picked up the phone, looking at me for an answer.

I nodded slowly. "I don't need medical attention… I just want to sit down…" my words trailed off once again as I turned around and headed towards a vacant chair in the lobby. I could hear her speaking to someone in the phone, but I didn't care to listen. Everything suddenly felt surreal to me, like I was dreaming.

As I sat down, pain shot up my back causing me to wince. I probably should be looked at, but I just wanted a second of calmness before I'm thrown into an interrogation room. For just one second I wanted to relax and collect my thoughts before I explained everything I just saw.'

I didn't get to see Kenny nor Stan on the way out of the police station, but I could hear Yates screaming from one of the rooms. For a second I really considered if Stan or Kenny did it, but I honestly couldn't see it in either of them to do such a thing. Stan was a quarterback and I could see him taking Cartman down, but he can't do blood. He nearly faints at the sight of it. Even if he was able to do it, Wendy would kill him for destroying their future together. Kenny is mischievous and devious, but when it comes down to it he is just a perv with a cute smile. Plus he has Karen to worry about, why would he do something that would tear him away from her. They have no motive … honestly a lot of people hated Cartman, but I don't know anyone who hated him that much.

The car ride home was filled with deadly silence. My mother didn't bother questioning me nor did she press for me to go to a hospital when I told her no. She had hugged me, told me she was glad I was safe, but that was it. She sent me to the kitchen as soon as we got home, bandaged up my wounds, gave me an ice pack for my back, and some painkillers for my headache. Then she proceeded to start cooking me some food. However silence still clouded around us.

I glanced around, I haven't been in my kitchen for awhile and a part of me missed the traditional family meals we had in here, but another side of me grimaced as flashbacks of the night Gerald ruined our meals by coming home drunk and throwing the plates of homemade food at the wall cursing at my mother for making "dogshit". My mother only cooks for holidays now. Except tonight, for some reason she always thought a home cooked meal could brighten someone's day. She had no idea how right she was. I cleared my throat. "Thank you."

"I'm just happy you're safe, Bubbie." She walked over with two plates of scrambled eggs and toast. "Ike was awake when I received the phone call that you were at the police station. He was pretty upset you were so late coming home. He has some big news for you." she smiled weakly at me.

I smiled back, not sure how well, but I managed. I picked up a piece of toast and took a bite of it, comforted by the flavor of home. "I know. I've been watching his grades through that online school app. I'm taking him to the beach this weekend. Don't tell him though, it's a surprised."

"Oh, he is going to love that. He had been gloating all day about how proud you're going to be and how he is going to be just like you." She giggled softly before sighing. "Of course he would never say that to your face, but he really does look up to you Kyle. You're a good brother."

I nodded slowly, continuing to chew on the toast. The conversation seemed too casual for the night I just had. I just wanted to go to bed and forget everything just happened, but I knew only nightmares would occupy my mind tonight and tomorrow wasn't going to be the same as every other day… I was never going to be called a 'stupid ginger Jew fag' again. I should be thankful for that, but knowing how he died only brought me pain...and fear. The murderer saw me. If it's the same man as before then he probably knows where I live. If a man is capable of killing someone and creating such a grotesque scene then God knows what he would do to me for going to the police.

"I'm sorry Bubbie. You shouldn't have witnessed such a horrible thing. So, I don't think you should attend classes at thing the college until the killer is caught. It's not safe anymore and I can't bare the thought of losing you." my mother put her hand on my and gave it a squeeze. "I understand you might be confused and hurt. I'll help you however I can. If you need to see a psychologist about this I will happily find you one. Tomorrow I'm going to Mike's and I'm going to find out what is taking so long on your car. If you need to stay home from school tomorrow I wouldn't mind at all."

I sighed and put the now cold piece of toast back on the plate. I glanced and the clock; it read 12:56. It felt like I had lost so much time. I yawned and looked at her through sleepy eyes. "I'll be fine." I said tired. "I think I'm going to go to bed now. Thanks for the food mom." She didn't push for more of a conversation as I got up and gave her a hug and rinsed off my plate.

Of course I wasn't actually going to sleep. There was no way I could. Not with the possibility of that man coming to my house. No, I had to dig through my closet and find my only cameras, modify them, and hook them up so I could monitor the front and back of the house.

Everything still felt so surreal. It was as if this was all done big joke and tomorrow everything would go back to normal. I should probably visit Cartman's mother tomorrow. I opened the door to my room to find a small lump laying in my bed. A small smile broke out as I walked over to Ike, sound asleep.

There was no point in waking him up, he was in view so I could keep an eye on him tonight while I messed with my cameras. As quietly as I could I began to dig in my closet. Tonight was going to be a long night. I yawned as I grabbed the camera from the brown box on the back. Stan had gotten me these a few years back to try and attach to his remote controlled helicopter. He wanted a drone, but didn't want to spend the money. It worked for awhile until he wrecked it and the helicopter broke it's blades. Stan flew it right into his father's car, he was so pissed at the time, but looking back it was pretty funny. Randy didn't notice the scratch for a good couple of weeks and by then there was no evidence Stan did it.

I sat in my computer chair and laid the cameras out on the desk. If I couldn't get them to work I'd have to go out and buy some and God knows how expensive that would be. I glanced back over at Ike, I haven't gotten to talk to him in a few days. Since I'm not going to Haven anymore in the evenings I'll spend the evening with him and help him with his homework. It'd be a nice change in pace. I sighed once and before begrudgingly getting back to fixing the cameras. No doubt tomorrow is going to be a rough day.


	3. Chapter 3

" _Such a truly tiny dream was it."_

"Alright, that should do it." Kenny said as he hopped off the chair. "Let's go fire it up." I smiled and nodded as we started our way up the stairs and to my room. I turned on the computer and messed with a few connection problems and once they were solved, images of my front and back door appeared.

"Looks like it's working. Thanks for hooking it up dude."

"Yea well, you probably would have fallen flat on your face or something." He joked as he collapsed onto my bed and turned most of his attention to the TV, playing commercials, across my room.

"Fuck you. I'm sure I would have done just fine." I knew he wasn't going to reply, so I began tinkering with the recording of the cameras. As much as I would loved to record constantly with high definition and frames per second, it would take up a lot of storage in my computer eventually. I opted to instead record with semi-decent settings, but programmed to have the cameras take high resolution pictures every two seconds whenever there was movement detected on the cameras.

With that, I sighed and leaned back in my chair, listening the the channel news intro come on. It was already 6 in the morning; didn't look like I was going to sleep any time soon. I was still working on the cameras when Kenny text me a couple hours ago. He came over to see if I was okay, but he looked worse than I did. He wasn't covered in cuts and bruises, but he was drained. I had to give him props, honestly. For how close him and Eric was, he was hiding his feelings pretty well. Then again, Kenny has always been that way.

Stan was railed the hardest according to Kenny. Stan was the last to see Cartman alive; he dropped him off at his house just after the party, but Cartman never even made it inside his house. This is known because Cartman's mom always stays up until he comes home. Even though it felt surreal to me still, I couldn't imagine how she must feel. "Breaking news today, the body of a young man named Eric Cartman was found dismembered late last night on the wooded trail on the west side of town." My attention immediately turned towards the television. They were reporting on it already? "As of right now, there are no leads in the case or suspects, but the trail has been shut down and police are looking for any leads so if you have any information please contact the South Park police." I rolled my eyes as the girl went right into the weather.

"I guess a snow storm that's coming this weekend is more important than a murderer." Kenny said bitterly. "I mean, it's not like we aren't use to snow here."

I chuckled slightly at his words. "You would think they would be a bit more shaken up about a murderer…"

"It's South Park. Crazy shit happens all the time, people die all the time…" Kenny rolled off my bed and looked over at me. "Looks like Stan couldn't sleep."

He gestured towards my monitor and sure enough there was Stan standing on the patio unlocking the door with his key. "I wonder what he is doing here. I thought he went home to try and sleep?" I quickly turned off my Tv and quickly went jogging downstairs. Stan was just walking in the door just as I made it downstairs. "Hey dude, what's going on?"

He looked up at me and nearly fell backwards. "Jesus, fuck dude. You scared the hell out of me. How did you know I was here?"

Kenny came down behind me and dropped his arm over my shoulders. "Kyle has a new ability of telepathy. He knew you were coming from a mile away."

"Fuck you."I muttered to Kenny while I laughed at the confusion on Stan's face.. "Kenny helped me install cameras at the doors. It's just a precautionary."

"Duuuuuude Kyle, we could have played him so hard!" Kenny whined and pushed me to the side.. "What's up dude? I thought you were going to sleep?"

"I did go home, but I couldn't sleep. I'm going to get some Coffee from Tweak's, decided to invite you guys along." Stan said jingling his car keys.

I smiled, coffee sounded orgasmic at this point. "What if we didn't wanna go?" Kenny teased as we started walking out the car.

"Kyle would never turn down coffee. Especially if someone else was paying." Stan winked at me and in return he got the finger.

I happily jumped into the backseat while Kenny and Stan filled the front. The seats were smaller in the back, but I wasn't obligated to join the conversation. I leaned my head against the headrest on the seat, truthfully I didn't want to leave the house, but coffee was too good to say no to.

As Stan drove, Kenny and him got into a debate about whether the new Blizzard game was worth the money or not. From what I got, Kenny thought it could use improvements, but Stan firmly believed it was as perfect as it was going to be. Personally, I had no idea there was a new game, nor did I really care. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the days where that's all I worried about. Between school and family, my time was pretty full. It honestly felt weird to be spending time with Kenny or Stan, under different circumstances I'd be awake trying to get some class work done or studying before taking a shower and heading to school. Could it be the realization that I haven't been spending much time with people I care about that makes me feel so weird or is it the absence of Cartman? For just witnessing the mutilated body of someone I grew up just hours before, it felt too normal sitting in the car. I wonder how others were taking it? I could think of a few people who would be celebrating their liberation from the fat lard, but I also know a few who will miss him. His mother, and as few more friends, he also had a girlfriend I believe. I can't say I will miss him or even grieve for him, but there will be something missing from day to day life from now on.

We pulled into the parking lot of Tweak's, for it being 6 in the morning, it wasn't very busy. "What do you guys want? I'll order, just find a table." Stan said as we all climbed out of the truck.

"A grande caramel mocha with two shots," I paused for a second to open the doors to the shop. "Please and thank you."

Kenny laughed. "Going for the caffeine fix huh? I'll take whatever. I'm not picky." With that, Stan was off while Kenny and I settled into a booth in the far corner of the store. "How are you feeling?" Kenny asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Fine I guess. Tired, but coffee will help."

"Don't you think sleep would be better than coffee Ky? No offense, but you look worse than I do and I'm the one who went out drinking last night."

We both laughed as I punched him in the arm. "Dude, fuck off. Of course I'm gonna look a little bad. A nice cup of coffee and a shower will do me good. After that maybe I can get some homework done. Who knows."

"I'm pretty sure I misheard you. You said play games with Stan and I, right? Pretty sure that's what you meant."

"Kyle is going to join us tonight for our epic conquest of Lord Kazzak or are we thinking about using Kyle's angel magic to keep us alive in Overwatch?" Stan came up and placed our cups in front of us.

` "Oh my God, who knew you guys could sound like bigger nerds than me. What has the world come to." I rolled my eyes and grabbed my cup of coffee, sipping on it and nearly falling in euphoric pleasure. An all too familiar taste of comfort, whenever life dropkicks you, coffee is a sweet yet bitter reminder living is worth it. "Besides, I can't play. I need to finish some homework; I can't go to Haven for a couple days so I need to keep up with the work."

"You're playing with us. You need the break and the distraction." Stan said immediately shutting me down before I could argue. "I think it'll be good for all of us to get together and game. Maybe we can have an LAN party tonight."

"Hiya, fellas." Butters voice pulled our attention to him. He stood in front of our table wearing black pants and a blue button up shirt and a brown apron. "I thought I heard your voice, Stan!"

"Hey, Butters. How's it going?"

"Well, it's going. A little tired. How are you guys?" Butters has been working with Tweek at his parent's shop for awhile now; Butters is the only one Mr. Tweak trust to work there anyways. Of course, if he had it his way he would just work Tweek to death, but being the only coffee shop in a town full of adults, extra hands became required, so why not someone hire just as easy to boss around as Tweek? Makes sense.

"We are doing alright. Just wanted to enjoy some coffee, long night." Kenny sipped on his coffee.

"O-oh I bet it was! Why, I can't imagine how you feel Kyle. Finding his body that way…you guys were always so close too." Give it to Butters to talk about the elephant in the room without even realizing it. I really didn't want to talk about this right now.

I forced a smile on my face. "I wouldn't say taunting me daily makes us close, but he was around a lot."

"Well of course! It still must have been horrifying, it would explain why you look so exhausted buddy!" He had a concerned smile on his face. Can't I just enjoy some coffee?

"Yea, well I'm sure if anyone stumbled across that, they wouldn't be too full of energy." I began sipping on my coffee, trying to show I wanted the conversation to end. Of course, that probably wouldn't register with him.

We say in silence for a moment, it wasn't necessarily awkward, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. "I-I know Eric wasn't the kindest guy around, but I'm going to miss him." We all looked up at him simultaneously.

"Dude, Butters. He tormented you more than anyone else." Stan said what we were all thinking.

"Well, y-yea. B-but I know he didn't mean it. Eric was just pretending to be mean because he was scared." Butters shifted a little where he stood. It seemed he was becoming more uncomfortable as the conversation carried on.

Kenny rested his elbows onto the table and his chin in his hands as he leaned forward. "Eric Cartman? Scared? Are we talking about the same guy? The same guy who almost enacted the second holocaust? I mean let's not forget about Scott Tenorman…" Visions of Cartman licking Scott's tears filled my mind. It still astounded me that Eric got away with that. "He was the closest friend I had, but I'd be an idiot to say he didn't have it coming, Butters. I mean, he didn't open up to many people, but you guys would be surprised how many people were after his head." Kenny said what we were all thinking deep down, but actually hearing it made me wince.

Butters hung his head low as silence filled the air around us. Kenny leaned back in the booth and sipped on his coffee, he looked defeated and a bit offended. I didn't blame him; Cartman was an asshole, but he and Kenny were close. Whether it was by choice or not, Kenny knew more about Cartman than anyone else. "W-well, he may have been a real jerk sometimes...b-but he didn't deserve what happened." Butters smiled softly as he began to pull away from the table. "I'll see you fellas around, thanks for stopping by."

We were left to our own devices once again, but this time it felt like a wound has been open. I buried myself deeper into the back of the booth, sipping on my almost empty coffee. I could feel the tension in the booth between the both of them. I let out a sigh and glanced at both of them. "Well-"

"Do you think they're going to figure out who did it?" Stan interrupted me, I couldn't tell whether he was pissed or upset.

"Sure, if the police here can actually use their brains." Kenny mumbled bitterly, but in the end he was right. The South Park police were probably the worst in the country, none of them went to college, they all just passed the physical requirements to be police officers. The chances of them actually finding Cartman's killer is slim, especially if it was someone who was after Cartman. He made some pretty sly and dangerous enemies.

"Do you think the person who did this was only after Cartman? Or do you think Cartman was just the first." I was hesitant to ask because it seemed crazy, why would a serial killer target South Park? Quite frankly, life has been mundane since I pulled away from the guys, weird things still happened, but it was usually involved around Cartman, so the likelihood of this being a personal attack on him is pretty high, but like I said, strange things happen.

Kenny and Stan looked at me; they didn't have an answer for me, but they seemed puzzled by the question. Of course it sounded ridiculous. I spun around my empty cup, feeling the caffeine coursing through me. Even though I've been awake for over twenty four hours, I felt like I was dreaming. "Well, I'm gonna head out guys. Thanks for the coffee, Stan. I'll catch you guys later."

"I can give you a ride, your house isn't far." Stan said as I started to climb out of the booth.

I shook my head. "As you said, my house isn't far. I can walk. Plus I might as well enjoy the weather now before the storm." I waved goodbye to Butters and began my walk home. The cold was quick to greet me, but it only helped the coffee wake me up.

I didn't want to, but I couldn't get Cartman out of my head. He was an asshole; Butters is probably wrong, he probably did deserve what he got, but why did I feel so weird? I wasn't necessarily sad about him, but I wasn't happy either. I guess I could say I'd miss the guy, but not too much.

Images of the man I saw behind the community center came into my mind. Shudders ran up my spine as I thought more about him. He had to have been the one to kill Cartman and I could have been his first victim. If he had caught me that night would I have taken Cartman's place? Maybe that's why he was killed, he caught the guy killing another animal, but Cartman couldn't run as fast as I could. He always had a knife on him though and he knew how to fight back pretty well. If this guy charged Cartman, there's a chance he got a few battle wounds.

As my house came into view, but so did Cartman's and I stopped in front of it. I could see Ms. Cartman moving around the kitchen and guilt hit me. I couldn't imagine the pain she was feeling... I slowly made my way to the door before knocking on it gently, half hoping she wouldn't answer, but sure enough it opened.

"Oh! Hello, hon. Eric hasn't come home yet, but you're more than welcome to come inside and wait for him. I'm making breakfast now." I was taken back by her words. Did she not know? That's impossible, the police would have had her verify the body and she probably saw the news report on him as well.

Confusion ran across my face as I slowly entered the house. She went running back into the kitchen, fumes of cinnamon and pancakes filled the house. I suddenly regretted coming by as I walked into the kitchen where she vigorously worked on cooking Eric's favorite meal. "I'm so happy you stopped by. Eric will love having breakfast with one of his little friends!"

"Oh… no, it's okay, Ms. Cartman. I'm not too hungry…" I looked down at the table where a plate of ribs, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn sat. It was completely untouched, she must have made it for him last night.

"Of course you are! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, hon." She walked over with two plates, placing them at opposite ends of the table. She paused as she looked at the dinner plate from the night before. She seemed partially hypnotized by it; I reached out and gently touched her shoulder, but she immediately jumped up and grabbed the dinner plate. "Well, this isn't any good. Little Eric never came home last night, he must be starving! Hopefully he comes home soon. Have you seen him?" All I could do was gulp and shook my head. "Oh, what a shame. Thanks anyways, hon. Why don't you sit down and eat?"

I looked at the plate sitting at the table, cinnamon swirled pancakes with butter, whipped cream, and syrup. Ms. Cartman was an amazing chef, but just the sight of the meal disgusted me. I looked at her as she began flipping more pancakes. Was it possible she really didn't know what happened?

I slowly backed into the living room, wanting to get out of the situation, turned around just to slam my shin into the coffee table, causing a wave of pain shoot up my leg. "Fucking bitch!" I muttered under my breath as I grabbed my wounded leg, rubbing the injured part. Yet another bruise to add to my collection.

My eyes followed up the table to spot a bag resting on it. Inside was a familiar blue and yellow beanie, covered with stains of red. I glanced back at the kitchen to see Ms. Cartman whisking a bowl of batter. I looked back at the hat, realizing that she knew everything that happened, but she wasn't accepting it. Eric was the only person she really had and to have your child die that way would traumatize any mother. I could feel my chest tightening just thinking about it.

I glanced at the stairs and decided to make my way up to Cartman's room It's been years since I had been in it. I swiped the bag up in my arms along the way; maybe I could find something in there or on that hat as a clue.

I opened the door to his room, waves of nostalgia hit me instantly. His room was hardly any different than when we were kids. Despite a few new posters on his walls and clothes in his closet, everything else was the same. He still had his toy box with all of his toys, all of his stuffed animals sat on a shelf above his bed. Surprisingly he even had his old wizard king and Coon costume framed on the wall. That definitely explained why he never allowed us over; every overlord has a secret.

I turned on his computer and as the lock screen came into view so did a picture of Stan, Kenny, Cartman, and I. It was all of us sitting together playing a game on Stan's PlayStation. It brought back memories of easier times; the picture was taken nearly four years ago. Gerald hadn't discovered alcohol so school wasn't so heavy for me, Stan wasn't a football junkie yet, Cartman was too stupid to really do any damage, Kenny is the only one who has stayed the same, besides having a bit more cash in his pocket because of his job. The picture was too innocent and sentimental for Cartman; I wondered how he got it and why he had it, as I entered his password. It wasn't too hard to figure out 'fuckyoumom.'

I dug through Eric's emails, he got a lot of replies from various gang members, a lot of death threats, some ads here and there, but nothing that really caught my eye. Sure, the death threats should be a clue, but he had so many of them all the time and he fucked over so many people it didn't really seem like something I should worry about. I copied over most of the emails to a flash drive, to look at later as a precautionary, before going through the rest of his computer. His history was mostly empty besides a few YouTube videos and google searches for new games coming out. I sighed and leaned back in the chair, the bag caught my eye.

My stomach turned a bit as a picked it up. He has had this ratty thing for years, it felt so weird seeing it in a bag. I opened it and the smell of men's sweet and dirty filled my nose. "Jesus, when was the last time you washed this thing." I shuddered as it fell out of the bag and onto the desk.

Spots of blood scattered about the hat, I almost didn't want to touch it, but I flipped through it. Memories of us turning the town into a battle zone between elves and humans over a stick. Or the time the entire town turned into a bunch of zombies. I honestly don't even remember how that was fixed or if it was just part of our childhood imagination. As I scanned the hat a glimmer of bright red caught my eye. I pulled out the tag of the hat to see '38, 58' written in a bright red pen or marker. It didn't look like Cartman's handwriting, but then again it was just a couple numbers. I sighed and placed the hat back in the bag, Cartman's flash drive, that I was borrowing, in my pocket and checked around his room a bit more before leaving. There wasn't really any evidence that I could go off of in there.

I started making my way down the stairs and to the door. I could hear Ms. Cartman messing with the dishes. I glanced at the kitchen to see the two plates gone off the table. That was weird considering how she was acting just moments before… I slowly made my way to the kitchen and peeked in to see a familiar blonde washing dishes. "Kenny?"

He jumped around with a confused face. "Kyle? What are you doing here?"

I felt my face start to warm up. "Uh...well I just wanted to see if Ms. Cartman was okay, but then I found myself in his room."

"Eric? Eric's room?" He chuckled. "Pretty gay, huh?"

I smiled a bit and nodded. "What are you doing here? And where is Ms. Cartman?"

Kenny sheepishly smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "I put her to bed. You could probably tell she isn't in the best place right now, I figured I could help out a bit."

"Since when did Kenny McCormick have a heart?" I teased causing us to both laugh a bit.

"She was a good mom to Eric. She fed me a lot too and almost always gave me the leftover to bring to Karen. She didn't deserve to lose her son, so if I can help her in anyway I will." He grinned cheekily as he wiped off the countertop and closed the dishwasher. "So if you were here to check on Ms. Cartman, why were you upstairs exactly?"

"I don't know. I kind of figured I could maybe find something weird in his room." I looked behind me at the door, it was only 10 in the morning, but the sky looked gray and dark. The storm might come closer than we thought.

"Did you find anything?" Kenny leaned on the countertop, resting his chin in his hands.

"Just emails of death threats. So, not much to go on."

"Shouldn't you show the police them?"

I gave him a glare and rolled my eyes. "Everyone wanted him dead. It's hardly a lead, plus I doubt it was any of them…"

Kenny straightened himself up and gave me a concerned look. "What do you mean? You think someone just killed him to kill him?"

I shook my head and looked at the stairs. "Why don't you walk with me? I don't think we should talk about this here." Kenny nodded and we started for the front door. "I don't think it was random, I think whoever did it knew who Cartman was. It's just …" I stood there in silence as Kenny locked the front door to the house and we began walking towards mine.

"You think it was someone who knew him? Someone close to him?" Kenny asked, he seemed unsure of himself. It sounded worse than I thought hearing it.

"Yea, I mean it makes sense. Cartman was cautious and he knew how to take someone down quickly. For someone to take him, he must have had his guard down. Especially since he always has a knife on him. If someone approached him last night in the dark he would have immediately pulled that out, even if he was drunk." I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. "It sounds crazy."

"No, I think it makes perfect sense." He was silent for a moment before continuing. "But who has that in them? I mean I saw the pictures, it takes a fucked up person to do that." I nodded at his words. It felt weird thinking someone I know might have done it, it didn't sit well with my stomach either. None of us necessarily adored Cartman, but who would have that much hatred towards him?

I sighed and stopped walking as we got to my driveway. "You can come in if you'd like. I'm sure Ike would like to see you."

"Nah, I'm gonna head home and check up on Karen. Maybe I'll stop by later, but don't hold me to it." He smiled and placed his arm around my shoulders. "I think if anyone can figure out what happened to Eric, it'd be you Ky… If what you say is right, then you should be careful who you talk to." He pulled away from me and started walking away. "Try and get some sleep dude. I'll catch you later."

I bit my lip as I watched him walk away. It was freezing out, but I didn't really want to be home. If there is a possibility whoever killed Cartman, knew him personally, then he knows all of us as well. It could have been a personal attack, but is there anyone else he has beef with? Is there a chance someone else might become the victim? Could this be just a revenge thing, or is someone holding a grudge that goes deeper than Cartman? If someone else turns up, the best time would be during the storm. Most people will be inside so not only will he know where his next victim will be, but that there won't be any witnesses if he plays his cards right. It was all hypothetical, but it wasn't that much of a long shot. I needed to warn someone; there was no way I could find out who the next victim would be, if there is one, but I could at least tell the police. Even if I'm wrong, it's better than nothing. They could have patrol cars out making it harder for the killer to move around freely and a greater chance of being caught…then again it was the South Park police. They're useless … the chances of them actually listening to me is slim.

"KYLE!" A little Canadian voice disrupted my thought. Ike came bouncing down the stairs and to the sidewalk. "Dude! Where have you been!?"

"Stan took me to get coffee. Sorry dude, I didn't think it would take so long, I-"

"Mom told me everything, what the fuck dude!" He landed a pretty hard punch in my arm making me wince.

"Ouch, fuck you. What's your problem?" I rolled my eyes at him and started walking in. "Get your ass inside. You don't even have shoes in. You're going to get frostbite."

"Why didn't you wake me up last night, Kyle? Why didn't you tell me as soon as it happened? Why did you let mom just let me sleep in?" He followed closely at my heels, nearly tripping me a few times.

"Ike, I don't know why mom let you sleep. I mean obviously she didn't want you to go to school; I doubt anyone went to school today. Just enjoy the day off man." I could feel his eyes burning through me as we entered the house. "Ike, mom told me you needed to tell me something."

I turned around to smile at him, but my smile was greeted by a glare. "Don't change the subject. I'm not a baby, I was worried about you." He frowned and looked away. "I mean what if something happens to you? What would I do? What would mom do?"

I sighed and fell back on the couch. "Ike, I know it's scary, but nothing happened to me. Just a little bit of trauma and bruises, but I'm fine. You're stuck with me for quite awhile. I'll tell you all about what happened, but just for a little bit I just wanna chill with my little brother. Why don't we play a game and talk about stupid shit." I picked up the PlayStation remote and waved it around teasingly.

Ike slumped in defeat and made his way next to me on the couch. "Sure...but I get to be player one." He grabbed the remote as I turned on the game console. "Did my report card come in yet?"

I chuckled at his lack of subtlety. "No, since when did you care when those came in? Are you trying to hide this one as well?"

He smirked. "Nope. You owe me so big man."

"Oh? I owe you?"

Ike started Destiny on the PlayStation, giving me the other remote and beginning where we left off a couple years ago. "Yea, you do. remember the deal we made? You can't go back on it!"

"Deal? We made a deal? Oh really?" I smirked at his puzzled face. He could tell I was being sarcastic but he was hesitant for a moment.

He landed another punch in my arm. "Dude fuck you. You already know! How did you figure it out?!"

I busted out laughing. "Dude, there are so many ways to keep track of your grades it's not even funny. I knew before you did."

He was quiet for a moment while we killed some monsters in the game. "So, does this mean...we are gonna go? You're gonna take me?"

"I'm picking my car up tomorrow and some girl in my class at Haven has a father that runs a hotel in Cali. We are going to head there this weekend."

He paused the game and looks up me. "What?! Are you serious?! Like this weekend?"

"Yea, we leave Friday afternoon."

"Dude! You're just now telling me!? It's Wednesday! I need to start packing!" Ike jumped up and started to run up the stairs.

"Dude, we will only be gone for two days. It's not going to take that long to pack."

"Kyle! We are going to Cali! Do you know what type of women will be there?! Sophisticated classy models. My clothes need to on point for them to even look at me!"

With that he was off, bouncing up the stairs, leaving me alone and confused. He was such a typical guy, I wouldn't be surprised if the only reason he wanted to go there was because of the girls. I was nice seeing him so excited. I haven't been hanging out with him as much as I use to, it will be nice spending the weekend with him and having some brotherly bonding time.

I sighed and laid back against the couch. The coffee was wearing off a bit and I found myself resting my head on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. I didn't want to leave this weekend, it didn't feel right, but I promised him and pulled a lot of strings to make this happened. I wasn't going to let those bullshit 'dates' with Holly go to waste. Not only did she make me cater to her every want and need, but she was way too touchy. To be fair, any normal guy would love blowjobs from a girl like her, but she wasn't my cup of tea. Dating in general wasn't my cup of tea.

I could feel myself starting to slip into the darkness behind my eyelids, my body felt cozy and warm, the sounds of the PlayStation started fading out and I found myself falling deeper and deeper into a dreamlike state. It felt too good to be true.

"KYLE!" Cartman's bloodied face filled my vision, his hand reaching for my face, covering it as his blood scattered across my vision and his animalistic scream filled my eyes causing me to jumped up from my sleep. My was heart beating out my chest, my eyes burning, and my breath staggered. I bit my lip trying to calm myself, get that image out of my head. I looked at the stairs and figured it would probably be better for me to do some homework right now than sleep anyways.


End file.
